Condensing sliver



27, 1953 J. G. KERSHAW ET AL 1 CONDENSING SILVER Filed June 2, 1951 2Sheen's-Sheet 1 f'zc/elzfors (fa/2n Greeczlrs/zaw Harold 1 167037 1953J. G. KERSHAW ET AL 2,656,573

v CONDENSING SILVER Filed June 2, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA YIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII)"I:. v1 5 91101111011111, I r

frwerzfo Jokrz Green Kemizaw Harald E's/w? @QMM Patented Oct. 27, .1953

CONDENSING SLIVER John Green Kershaw, Oak Bay,

Columbia, and Harold Quebec, Canada assignors to Dominion TextileCompany Canada Limited, Montreal,

Victoria, British Fisher, Mount Royal,

Quebec,

Application June '2, 1951, Serial No. 229,587 In Canada June 20, 1942 4Claims.

This invention relates to condensing sliver and coiling it into a can.

In textile manufacture, at various stages of producing yarn, sliver iscondensed and putinto a can in which it is taken to the location of thenext operation. After carding, this condensation is usually effected bycalendars or press rolls attached to the card and further in a coilerhead by which the sliver is inserted into the can. Several sliverscoming from the condensing operation after carding are passed through adrawing frame and drafted to form one, condensed further and again putinto a can. In each of these condensing operations it is desirable toplace as much sliver as possible in the can.

Various types of apparatus have been employed in an endeavour to placelarge amounts of sliver into a can. However, most of these apparatushave employed attachments to existing equipment and requiremodification.

The applicants development The applicants have now developed expedientswhich require only minor modification of existing apparatus and whichmay conveniently be used in conjunction with the method and apparatusdisclosed. in United States Patent 2,385,448 This device is forcondensing sliver from the form in which it is received from the largecalendar to a more condensed form. The present invention relates to theplacing of the condensed sliver into the can by means of a coilerconstructed in accordance with the invention.

The coiler includes the conventional features, including the coiler headhaving a bottom part, a middle part pivoted to the bottom part, and anupper part pivoted to the middle part. The bottom part has an annularhorizontal portion adapted to be positioned directly above the can intowhich the condensing sliver is to be coiled. The device includes atoothed tube gear having an annular portion normally bearing in slidingrelationship on the annular portion of the coiler head bottom part. Thetube gear is thus supported on the bottom part for rotation in contactwith it, and is adapted for limited upward movement by pressure from thecoiled sliver in the can beneath. The tube gear also has an upperperipheral margin which is used in accordance with the invention as willbe described. I

In accordance with the invention, a plurality of bearing members areattached to the under s de of the coiler head middle part in a positionabove the peripheral margin of the tube gear. The coiler head middlepart, bottom part, and

tube gear are so related that the middle part is supported by the bottompart with the bearing members normally placed, in accordance with theinvention, a predetermined distance from the tube gear. The bearingmembers are adapted to contact the tube gear in sliding relation whenthe tube gear is moved upwards by sliver building up in the can.

When the tube gear contacts the bearing member it can lift further onlyby lifting the entire weight of the coiler head middle part and upperpart. So, the sliver builds up until such a time as itexerts suflicientpressure to lift the tube gear middle part and upper part. At the pointwhere the tube gear and associated parts start to lift, the operatorsdoffs the can and puts a new can in its place.

According to one form of the invention, the bearing members areadjustable in a vertical direction so that the normal clearance betweenthe tube gear and bearing member can be adjusted.

In one construction, the bearing members each include a base portion ofa durable material and a face portion attached to this base portion. Theface portion is at least surfaced with a material having a lowco-efiicient of friction. A first screw means extends through the middlepart of the coiler head to an adjustable threaded engagement with thebearing members. A second screw means extends through the coiler headmiddle part so as to contact the bearing members and limit their upwardmovement. Rotation of the first screw means is adapted to draw thebearing members towards or from the coiler head middle part relative tothe tube gear. The second screw means is preferably positioned so as tocontact the bearing members between the first screw means.

According to another variation of the construction, each bearing memberincludes a downwardly extending bracket connected to the coiler headmiddle part. A rubbing shoe is pivotally connected to the bracket andadapted to bear against the upper surface of the annular bearing portionof the tube gear when raised by the coiled sliver.

In the drawings The invention will now be more fully described byreference to the preferred embodiment as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings and in which:

Figure 1 isa diagrammatic general arrange ment 01' a coiler apparatus inaccordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a according to theinvention, showing 1e and top parts in raised position. igure 3 is afragmentary cross section partly in elcv t cn of one form of pressurefoot.

.c-igure c is a side elevation of the pressure foot shown in Figure 2.

re 5 is a vertical cross section through the a coiler by which it iscoiled and pressed into a The sliver is condensed to a certain extent asit is passed through a trumpet (not shown) between the dofier of thecard and the calendars C, then it is taken up through a trumpet H on thecoiler head whence it is passed between the coiled calendar rolls aswill be explained and is then coiled into the can.

The coiler is made up of a foot 1 carrying a bottom plate 3 whichsupports the can, and a pillar 9 on which the head is mounted. The headcomprises a bottom part 12 fixed to the pillar 9, a middle part [5pivoted to the bottom part i2 as at lEa and a lid or top part pivoted tothe part l5 as at 20a. The cover 20 includes a trumpet l 5 having atapering mouth 22 through which the sliver is drawn and a dependingfunnel 23 by which the sliver is guided towards the condensing rolls.

The middle part i5 includes a framework in which are journalled thecalendar rolls and 3 i 30 is a fixed roll, 3! is a movable roll beingjournalled in a supporting arm 33 pivotally mounted by a vertical pen 35on a bracket 36 extending from the part :5, for inward movement withrespect to the roll 30. A leaf spring 31 mounted on the part 15 servesto urge the roll 3| towards the roll 38. This construction isconventional for coiler heads.

The coiler mechanism is driven conventional .1;

1y from a shaft '32 receiving its drive from the card. A bevel gear 85in the head of this shaft meshes with a bevel gear 63 on the calendarroll 39. The roll 39 is provided with a gear 64 meshing with a gear 65on the other roll 3 1. tom plate 8 is also driven from the shaft 62 by atrain of gears indicated generally as The drive of all these parts issynchronized so as to coil the sliver into the can in the desiredmanner.

The roll 31 is provided with a groove and the roll it with a tonguemating with the groove. The sliver passes through the groove into whichit is pressed by the tongue and thus condensed.

In order to feed the sliver into the tongue and groove, a specialcondensing unit F is employed as described in U. S. Patent 2,385,448.This structure is adapted to prevent expansion of the sliver from thetime of leaving the trumpet H until it is within the groove.

The sliver after passing through the rolls 3!), 3!, is taken up by thecoiler tube which is mounted for rotation on a tube wheel or gear 5ijournalled in the bottom part 12 and suitably The bOtr.

4 driven from the vertical shaft 62 through a gear 69. This structure isconventional.

On the underside of the part [5 are mounted rubbing pads 10 adapted toengage the surfaces of the tube gear 6| under certain conditions to bedescribed. These pads are made from or at least faced with materialhaving a low 00- eiiicient of friction.

A preferred embodiment of this phase of the invention is bestillustrated in detail in Figure '7. The rubbing pads 10 are made up of asteel base 10a and a lignum vitae bearing portion 10b. Screws 1| extendthrough the base of the middle part [5 and engage in threaded openingsin the portion 10b. Adjusting screws 72 also extend through the base ofthe part 15 and are adapted to bear against the top of the base 10a.

Thus, the pads 10 can be raised or lowered with reference to the middlepart 15 so that their clearance of the top of the gear 6! can be adjusted at will. This adjustment is accomplished by either tightening orloosening the screws "H in conjunction with the screws 72 as will beclear ly evident from the drawing. It is usually preferable to adjustthe rubbing pads 10 so that they clear the top of the tube gear 5| byabout .005 inch, but of course, this clearance can be set at willthrough the arrangement described.

According to another embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures3 and 4, instead of the rubbing pads 70 on the bottom of the part I5, apair of downwardly extending brackets are attached to the part 15. Thebrackets 80 are mounted in spaced apart relationship on the part it inapproximately the same location as were the rubbing pads 10. Mounted oneach of these brackets for pivotal movement is a downwardly extendingshoe or depressor 8! adapted to bear under certain conditions to bedescribed against the edge of the tube gear 6|.

The pivotal connection between the depressor 8H and the bracket 80 ismade centrally of the depressor 81 so that any upward movement of thetube gear BI is transmitted directly to the bracket 80 and to the middlepart [5. The pivotal mounting of the depressor 81 is to allow forlimited pivotal movement so as to take care of any unevenness of thetube gear 6 I. Ihis pivotal movement can only be limited as thedepressor 3! is prevented from excess pivotal motion by a wide lowerportion 8 lb which bears against the annular rim of the tube gear 6!when the gear is raised by the pressure of the sliver built up in thecan.

The structural features above have been de scribed in conjunction with acoiler head used to condense sliver immediately following carding. Itwill be understood, that this is only one application and that thecondensing opera.- tion can also be performed elsewhere in treating thesliver, for instance, following the drawing frame or following thecomber. The principle involved is the same and the apparatus quitesimilar.

The condensing process The process of condensing in the apparatusdescribed is as follows:

The sliver is initially threaded through the trumpet H, through thecondensing unit F and into the groove where it is engaged by the tongueand thus drawn through the coiler. Then the sliver proceeds continuouslyfrom the card and passes progressively between the calender rolls C,then to the coiler head, through the trumpet H mmp're and through thespecial condensing unit F by which the sliver *is virtually formed,during its passage therethrough, into 'aribbon and thence C draws thesliver from the trumpetadjacent to the card, and the rotation of therolls 3!, -31,

draws the sliver into the coiler head from the trumpet M. This treatment"is described in detail in U S. Patent 2,385,448.

Coiling landlaying into a can After leaving the roller head, the sliveris progressively laid into the can E by the rotating action of the tube50 and the rotation of the can by the bottom plate 3 on the caller foot.The condensed sliver coils pile up to the top of the can until theirupward movement is limited by the bottom of the tube gear 6|. For atime, depending on the weight on the coiler head, this results inforcing down the lower coils of sliver but when the upper pressure ofthe sliver becomes sufficient, it will raise the gear 61 until itcontacts the pad it or alternatively, the depressor 8| so as to lift thecoiler head. This is an indication that the can is full. -When theoptimum capacity of a particular size of can has been determined, atiming device can be arranged in conjunction with the coiling operationso that the latter is halted when the can has been filled to the desireddegree.

In some types of coilers the weight on the head is sufficient to exertthe requisite pressure on the sliver so as to fill the can to thedesired degree. With other types of coilers, it is necessary to weightthe head additionally.

Results According to the process described, the sliver is condensed to aconsiderably greater extent than is the practice in the textile industryat the present time. Also, a considerably greater amount of sliver islaid into the can than is customary.

With sliver condensed according to the process described in U. S. PatentNo. 2,385,448, it is possible to put about 14 /2 lbs. in a can about11%" in internal diameter by about 36" in depth and of normal capacityabout lbs. without the sliver lifting the tube gear alone. pads H3 inthe coiler of the particular example described are set at about .005" 4clear of the upper peripheral margin of the tube gear. At about 14 lbs.weight of sliver in the can, the upward pressure commences to lift thetube gear against the rubbing pads. The weight of the coiler top, in theneighborhood of 42 lbs. (the middle part I5 and the lid thus reduces thetendency to lift until about 18 lbs. sliver have been laid in the can.

It is good practice to doff cans before this point is reached, resultingin a well formed can containing, approximately 18 lbs. of Americancotton, the equivalent amount of approximately 19 lbs. of Egyptiancotton, or equivalent amounts of other cotton. It is possible to creelthis can behind the next machine in the process, without removing any ofthe sliver from the top because the can bottom plate is so set as toinduce friction between the condensed sliver and the sides of the can.

This friction, which is caused by reason of the fact that the sliver hasbeen forced into the can under pressure, reduces the upward surge of thecoils of sliver when the can is doffed. The re- The rubbingsultantpressure of the can 'wallagainst-thetightly "coiled sliverretains the latter mainly within the can. There is not thetendencyfor'the sliverto jump ou'tthat there would beifit were notproperly coiled into the can and compressed. Thus the-sliver is retainedso'that'the can is ready'to be used intact at the next operation.

The result of this process is the production of a can of silver holdingat least up to about 18lbs. of American cotton or in other words,substantial ly the equivalent of a'5'0 grain sliver about 2520 yards inlength by approximately in diameter.

where the can is about 11%" in internal diam- :eter by about 35 deep,oraproportionateamount .for other sized cans.

This is an advance over trade practice where about 10 /2 lbs. issubstantially the normalcontent of a can, 'of the size indicated givingabout 1470 yards in length of =50 grain sliver of a much greater than*diameter.

It would bepossible to put more than 18 lbs. in a ,canof the sizedescribed by the present method, but more than 18 lbs. is not consideredpractical as it is desirable to keep the sliver length uniform, so as toeliminate piecings in subsequent operations.

Advantages The great advantage of this method is that it makes availableto the cotton manufacturer a can of sliver containing a uniformly largeamount of American cotton which can be used in the next operation in itsentirety. The next operation may be a drawing frame or, as in this case,a lap winder. This winder is fed by 16 card cans and will produce 16laps of about 18 lbs. each. These laps will be creeled on a lap-backdrawing frame which will produce approximately from each lap one drawingcan containing 18 lbs. In this way all piecing up to the flier framewill be eliminated.

The quantity of sliver which it is possible to put into a can by thismethod is much greater than previously believed possible. The sliver hasnot the tendency to jump out of the can as might be expected. Theresultant pressure of the can walls against the coiled and compressedsliver retain it in place within the top of the can so that it may beused intact at the next operation. The quality of this sliver is highsince it is not injured in any way during treatment. The quality of theyarn resulting from the sliver made in this Way is also high, as piecingis eliminated to a large degree.

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No.617,719 /g filed September 21, 1945, now abandoned, which in turn was acontinuation-in-part of application Serial No. 454,362, filed August 11,1942, now Patent No. 2,385,448.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for laying sliver into a can, comprising in combination,a, coile including a head having a bottom part, a middle part pivoted tothe bottom part, and an upper part pivoted to the middle part, thebottom part having an annular horizontal portion adapted to bepositioned directly above a can into which the silver is to be coiled, atube gear having an annular portion normally bearing in slidingrelationship on the annular portion of the bottom part whereby said tubegear is supported on said bottom part for rotation in contact therewith,said tube gear having an upper peripheral margin and being adapted forlimited upward movement by pressure from the coiled sliver in the canbeneath, a plurality of bearing members on said middle part in aposition above the peripheral margin of said tube gear; the middle part,bottom part, and tube gear being so related that the middle part issupported by the bottom part with said bearing members normally placed apredetermined distance from said tube gear, the bearing members beingadapted to contact the tube gear in sliding relation on upward movementof the latter whereby the entire weight of the middle and upper part isbrought to bear on the tube gear while leaving the tube gear free torotate.

2. An apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein each bearing member isadjustable in a vertical direction whereby the normal clearance betweenthe tube gear and bearing members can be adjusted.

3. An apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein each of said bearingmembers includes a base portion of a durable material, and a faceportion attached to said base portion, said face portion being of amaterial with a surface having a low co-eflicient of friction, a firstscrew means descending through said middle part and having a threadedengagement with said bearing member, second screw means extendingthrough said middle part to contact and limit the upward movement ofsaid bearing member, the first screw means being adapted for drawing thebearing member towards or from the middle part, the second screw meansbeing adapted to be p0sitioned so as to limit the movement of saidbearing member towards said middle part.

4. An apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein each bearing memberincludes a downwardly extending bracket connected to said middle part,and a shoe pivotally connected to said bracket and adapted to bearagainst the annular bearing portion of said tube gear.

JOHN GREEN KERSHAW. HAROLD FISHER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 185,164 Bullough Dec. 12, 1876 518,675 McDermott Apr. 24, 1894704,704 Meats et a1 July 15, 1902 1,607,723 Crockett Nov. 23, 19262,385,448 Kershaw et a1 Sept. 25, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number CountryDate 8,949 Great Britain 1894 189,354 Great Britain Nov. 30, 1922

